WIREDGOV

Museums are the gateways to our past, protectors of our heritage, and – preservers of human remains. Hundreds of museums across the country hold collections of teeth, hair, bones, and ‘squishy bits’ (technical term) sourced from dead bodies, or donated by the living. These specimens offer insights into what makes us what we are. But they are at risk of not being looked after properly.

Introducing: the Human Remains Subject Specialist Network (HRSSN). In July we awarded the Network funding of £47,000 to address this exact problem. The money came from our Museum Resilience Fund, set up to enable museums to become more sustainable and resilient businesses.

“As soon as someone starts to talk about human remains, everybody is fascinated.” saysMargaret Clegg, Hon. Senior Research Associate at University College London, which is part of the Network.

“It’s not uncommon to find a skull in the ground – you dig around in London and you’re going to find previous Londoners! But a lot of people in the sector are very scared about holding human remains, understandably.”

In 2006, a change to the Human Tissue Act came into play which meant that National Museums could deaccession – officially remove – human remains in their collections, so that they could be returned to where they were originally from.

This was a game changer.

Smaller museums could now hold pieces of their own communities’ history. But this also gave them a huge responsibility – one that they may not have had the skills or resources for.

“When you lay a skeleton out, or any part of it, there’s no escaping that it was once a living breathing human being,” says Margaret. “Human remains are different from other museum specimens: they’re different because they’re us. That’s very important, and the way we treat them is very important.”

Some local museums have had to respond to cuts by reducing specialist staff and increasing volunteers. These are vital to the workforce, but understandably are not specialists in the field of human remains preservation.

With Museum Resilience Funding, the HRSSN will be able to provide a career development training programme across the sector.

Margaret explains: “There is some guidance on the matter from DCMS, but it is not practical. It says you should store the specimen ‘appropriately’, but it doesn’t tell you how. Without this information people run scared and don’t do anything, which defeats the whole object of having the remains – you may as well bury them if you’re not going to do anything with them.”

The HRSSN will instigate a series of seminars, workshops and ‘hands-on’ sessions across the country, produce course materials and create an online hub. All aspects of the care of human remains will be covered, from curation to the legal and ethical requirements of holding these special objects.

“It’s going to be quite a big job!” says Margaret.

Joyce Wilson, London Area Director, Arts Council England, said: “Museums across the country keep human remains that could hold untold secrets to our past. The work of The Human Remains Subject Specialist Network is crucial to unlocking these.”

One of Margaret’s favourite collections of Human Remains is held at the Natural History Museum. Remains were moved there for study from the crypt at Christ Church Spitalfields. What’s remarkable is that they have been able to piece together almost whole individuals from the 18th and 19th centuries and identify them from their remains.

“We know exactly who they were.” says Margaret. “It’s one of a small number of collections like this throughout the world, so its use in research is immensely valuable.

“Occasionally people looking into their family histories would discover their ancestor was one of these individuals. We would lay the skeleton out for them and talk them through everything we had found out from their remains. It was always very special.

“It’s vital we continue to preserve our Human Remains, and I’m excited to get started. Through examining our past, we are more connected to our future, and what makes us what we are.”

Find out more about the Human Remains Subject Specialist Network.